


Getting the Relationship Right

by franscats



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: M/M, Sentinel Bingo Card
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-08
Updated: 2018-02-08
Packaged: 2019-03-15 06:09:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13607217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/franscats/pseuds/franscats
Summary: Rather than pine for Jim, Blair decides to do something about their relationship.





	Getting the Relationship Right

**Author's Note:**

> This was done for the sentinel bingo challenge.
> 
> The prompt unrequited love/pining

February 7th

Blair sighed as he looked at the calendar. Valentine’s Day was a week away and he still hadn’t figured a way to ask out his would be valentine. Not that his would be valentine even knew he was a “would be” valentine. “This is a mess of your own making,” he muttered glumly as he looked at the calendar.

Six months ago Jim (the would be valentine) had asked Blair out on a real date and Blair had turned him down. He hadn’t known Jim all that long, had recently moved in with Jim because his warehouse had blown up, and was trying to maintain some objectivity when dealing with Jim because Jim was his dissertation project. Blair didn’t think he should date his project. As it was he worried that living with Jim would skew his results.

Jim had been standing in the loft living room, fiddling with his Jags cap, and said, “So, Sandburg. Do you ever go out on dates with guys?”

“Not in a while,” Blair answered cautiously, not sure where Jim was going with the question.

“Want to go out with me?”

“You go out with guys?”

Jim had rolled his eyes. “I just asked you, didn’t I?”

“But, you were married.”

“And you’ve only dated one gender?” Jim countered.

“Well, no, but…”

“But?”

“But I didn’t expect it of someone with your upbringing.”

Jim shrugged. “So do you want to go out?”

Blair had opened his mouth, his immediate answer wanted to be yes, who wouldn’t want to date Jim – a god in man’s clothes, but then he thought about his dissertation. Would going out with Jim affect it? Of course, he knew it would. “I can’t date you, Jim. You are my dissertation project. I’m studying you. It would invalidate my study. But-”

Jim held up a hand. “No problem, Chief, and no need to explain.” Jim had put his cap on and headed for the door but stopped there for a moment, the door open, looking at Blair. “Let’s just forget I asked.”

And Blair had tried to forget it. But since then Blair had learned a few things about life, love and relationships, starting with the fact that Jim was no longer a project, he was a friend, a person, _his sentinel_. It actually came as a revelation smacking him in the face when he turned down his mentor, Eli Stoddard’s offer of an expedition to Borneo and then jumped out of a plane to follow Jim into a Peruvian jungle. No, Blair certainly couldn’t forget that Jim had asked him out.

After turning down Eli, Blair had tried hinting a few times that he would be interested in a dating but Jim hadn’t picked up on it and finally, Blair had taken the proverbial bull by the horns and asked Jim out.

Jim had politely turned him down saying, “You need to consider your dissertation, Chief. I don’t want to spoil it for you.”

And though Blair thought that was a kind answer, he knew it wasn’t the truth. Blair had hurt Jim when he had said he couldn’t date a dissertation project. It had made Jim feel like a lab rat and though Blair had told Jim after Peru, “it's more than just a research project, it's about friendship. I just didn’t get it before,” he doubted Jim had ever gotten over Blair’s stupid comment.

“Why didn’t you just say you were seeing someone,” Blair muttered, a finger resting on the 14th of February. “You just had to open your mouth and insert your foot.” But Blair knew why he’d answered the way he had. At the time, he was afraid Jim might ask him out again at some future point. If only had answered the other way he wouldn’t have this problem now.

“Hindsight is 20 20,” Blair blurted out.

“Talking to yourself, Sandburg?” Jim asked as he opened the loft door.

Turning, Blair surveyed Jim standing in the doorway. Concentrating on the calendar, he hadn’t even heard Jim at the door. “Hi, Jim, I guess I was,” Blair smiled. “But I have you to talk to now. How was your day, man?”

“A day in court,” Jim shook his head as he pulled off his tie. “Not what I would call a good day. The ADA was an idiot and asked the same questions over and over but we got the conviction.”

“I’ll get dinner started and you can go up and change into something more comfortable,” Blair wiggled his eyebrows making Jim laughed.

“Right sweats,” Jim agreed heading for the stairs.

Blair watched Jim go, his eyes moving over the retreating figure before turning to the stove.

As he cooked he tried to think how to breach the wall Jim had erected. Thinking he might need a sledgehammer, he worked on making stir fry - chopping vegetables rather aggressively. He was just tossing the shrimp into a pan when Jim came down the stairs. “Dinner in five,” he called out and Jim grabbed plates and beer for them both, setting the table before taking a seat.

Blair soon joined him, carrying over a large bowl of shrimp with rice. “Looks great,” Jim commented taking a large serving. “And I’m starved.”

“Dig in,” Blair answered watching Jim enjoy the meal and thinking over how the varied tastes affected Jim’s senses. He smiled and Jim glanced over at him, curiously.

“What’s up,” he asked.

“I was just thinking, with your senses foods must really affect you.”

Jim nodded. “I don’t worry about it here with you, but in other places I do have to be careful.”

“Yeah,” Blair nodded. “I guess here it’s safe to be a sentinel.”

“Thanks to you, Chief,” Jim answered and stood to put the food away. Blair smiled deciding maybe he needed to be a bit more subtle. Instead of a sledgehammer he should rely on seduction – and what better way to get to Jim than through his stomach.

“So, Jim, any plans for Valentine’s Day? I know it will be my day to cook but if you are going out, I’ll cook another day.”

“No, no one significant right now and to tell the truth, I don’t want to give anyone the idea I’m more interested than I really am. But if you have a date, don’t worry about cooking for me. I’ll just go through wonderburger.”

“Oh no, I’ll be home and make dinner for us.”

“Great,” Jim nodded as he began washing dishes. “But if you end up with a date, go for it.”

“Oh, I will. Don’t worry about that,” Blair agreed getting a towel to dry the dishes.

February 14th

At 6:00 Jim walked into the loft door and stopped in his tracks. The loft smelled of bubbling lasagna cheeses and garlic bread and was lit by large red candles. A heart garland had been wrapped around the pillar that led to Jim’s bedroom and the table was set with a white tablecloth, candles, wine glasses and fine china. On the counter, what looked like a triple layer chocolate cake sat on a cake plate next to a tray of chocolate covered strawberries and a bottle of red wine. And at Jim’s usual place at the table, on top of the china plate, was red envelope.

As Jim took a few steps into the room, Blair came out of his bedroom, tucking a red shirt into a pair of tight black jeans. “Jim,” he smiled.

“Chief, you should have told me you were having a special Valentine’s dinner. I would have cleared out for the night.”

“Oh, thanks but it’s not necessary. This dinner is for us.”

“For us?”

Blair nodded and took a deep breath before continuing. “I once told you I couldn’t date you because you were my dissertation subject. I was wrong saying it. I can date you because you are so much more than a dissertation subject. You are my friend and my sentinel. I was stupid not saying yes when you asked and if you need me to rip up my dissertation to prove it, I will.”

Jim looked at the table and then back at Blair. “You would do that for me?”

“If I have to,” Blair answered hopefully. “You are more important than any dissertation.”

Jim glanced around again and then moved to take off his jacket and holster. “What’s with the card?”

“Read it,” Blair requested and Jim took a seat reaching for the envelope. Opening it, Jim looked at the heart shaped card with the title _Be My Valentine._ Opening it, Jim looked at the card. Below a overly sweet poem hand written was, “J _im, you are my everything: my best friend, my savior, and my sentinel. Let me show you how much I care. Love Blair.”_

Jim looked up from the card and at Blair. Slowly, he rose and walked over and pulled Blair close, leaning down to lightly kiss Blair’s lips. “I didn’t get you a card,” he said softly.

“But you are giving me a chance to set our relationship right. That’s a lot more important.” Blair took his hand and led him to the table. “Open the wine and I’ll get dinner on the table.” He turned and gave Jim a wicked smiled. “And I’ll feed you dessert.”


End file.
